#TBTV: Children’s Classics, All Grown Up

Update, 4/2: We're sad to say that #TBTV is not a thing — as much as we wish it were! Thanks as usual to the witty Shoshana Flax, our #AprilFools mastermind.

Nostalgia is in, and new streaming service #TBTV (that’s “Throwback Television”) is on trend with its lineup of shows that continue the stories of familiar children’s book characters.

A certain young man last seen in a wolf suit is a father of quintuplets — and getting a taste of his own medicine — in Wild Rumpus. The family sitcom format may have been around a while, but it’s still hot.

Gramona and Me follows Ramona Quimby-Kemp’s adventures with her granddaughter. In the pilot, the two march in a political protest (their signs: “MAKE A GREAT BIG NOISY FUSS” and “THERE’S NO SUCH WORD AS CAN’T”), but the eggs they plan to hurl at a politician’s car end up on their faces — literally.

Peter and Harold stars artists who run a hip Manhattan gallery by day, and secretly beautify their city with guerilla art by night. They’re also roommates; Peter has given up on trying to stop Harold from drawing on the walls in crayon, and Harold knows Peter's never going to remember not to track snow inside.

If thrillers are your thing, then Harriet the (International) Spy is for you. “Welsch, Harriet M. Welsch” likes the tomatoes on her sandwiches “slivered, not sliced.” Her successful career as a journalist provides the perfect cover for her constant travel — which is convenient, since she’s also a secret agent.

Nostalgic for the '90s? Check out The Baby-Sitters Hub. Developing an "Uber for baby-sitting" app was Kristy’s great idea, of course, and there’s a new generation of Stoneybrook kids whose parents’ names might sound familiar to longtime fans. (Not up on who’s who? Don’t worry, there’s a lengthy recap at the beginning of every episode.)

In The Year of the Hashtag, protagonist Pacy, now a successful author/illustrator, launches a social media campaign with some colleagues to amplify the concerns of women in her field.

Pardon us while we put on slippers and accomplish nothing for the foreseeable future. We’ve got some streaming to do.
Horn Book
Horn Book

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